Upholstery of seats, particularly for motor vehicles



K. WILFERT 3,

UPHOLSTERY OF SEATS, PARTICULARLY FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Dec. 26, 1961 Filed NOV. 21. 1958 Japan/0r KARL W/LFERT y 57/ A rToRNEl S rates Ufllf atent fiicc 3,014,226 UPHOLSTERY F SEATS, PARTICULARLY FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Karl Wilfert, Stuttgart-Degerioch, Germany, assignor to Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft, Stuttgart-Unterturkheim, Germany Filed Nov. 21, 1958, Ser. No. 775,605 Claims priority, application Germany Nov. 29, 1957 9 Claims. (Cl. 347) My invention relates to an upholstery for seats having a cover of leather, particularly for motor vehicles.

The utility of a seat, particularly for motor vehicles, nowadays depends on the compliance with a number of requirements regarding the comfort, protection from fatigue, capability of supporting a person in firmly seated condition, etc. Apart from a suitable flexibility, the quality of the cover material is the controlling factor for the compliance with these requirements. While genuine leather is preferred as the cover material for many reasons, it has some disadvantages which primarily result from insufficient elimination of condensed water that will form in the course of extended use and will also result from the deleterious effect of moisture or vapors that may develop in operation or when the vehicle is at rest, such condensed water or moisture or vapors causing the cover to be discolored and to develop cracks and to become brittle. On the other hand, it is desirable that the cover has a good adhesion and is capable of frictional engagement. In order to impart these properties to the leather, it was the conventional practice to either subject the leather to a suitable treatment or suitable types of leathers have been chosen. These types of leather or the leather subjected to a special treatment, however, favor the retention of the deleterious moisture collecting in the upholstery. Another disadvantage of leather coverings of the type used heretofore is the high expense caused by a high proportion of waste of leather portions that cannot be used because of improper flexibility or because of other irregularities.

It is the object of my invention to provide an improved leather covering for the upholstery which is free from the afore explained disadvantages. Other objects of my invention are to provide an improved leather covering for upholstery afiording improved ventilation, whereby condensed Water collecting on the surface of the leather will be dried up; to provide a leather covering of increased flexibility and improved ventilation insuring durability and uniform elongation as well as the required adhesion acting on the person seated on the upholstery, no matter whether the person sits straight or sits in a position in which the seating surface is inclined.

Further objects of my invention will appear from the description of two preferred embodiments of my invention following hereinafter with reference to the. accompanying drawings and the features of novelty will be pointed out in the claims. I wish it to be clearly understood, however, that my invention is in no way limited to the details of such embodiments but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims and that the terms and phrases used in such detailed description have been chosen for the purpose of explaining the invention rather than that of restricting or limiting same.

In the drawings FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automobile seat provided with my improved upholstery,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view, the section being taken along the horizontal plane indicated by the line 11-11 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of my invention towards each other to form narrow throats 16.

showing a perspective enlarged sectional view of a leather covering embossed in a specific manner.

In FIG. 1 a front seat of a motor car is shown comprising a base cushion 10 and a back cushion 11 both having an upholstering provided with a cover of genuinev leather. The cover is formed with re-entrant folds 12, each fold being formed by a bottom portion 13 and by side portions 14 which are integral with the bottom portion and with the areas 15 of the cover extending between the folds. The side portions 14 are outwardly inclined The areas 15 are bulged outwardly by a suitable stuffing 17 provided therebeneath and carried by the conventional spring core. While the base cushion 10* is provided with three parallel folds of the kind described extending fore-andaft parallel to each other, the back cushion 11 is provided with four such folds which are relatively displaced to the folds of the bottom cushion 10.

For the purpose of my invention the leather cover of the upholstery is provided with a multiplicity of holes, such as 18. Preferably, these holes 18 are uniformly distributed over the surface of the cover and, more particularly, over the areas 15 located between the folds 12.

As shown in FIG. 3, I prefer to emboss the leather with a pattern comprising adjacent rows, such as 19, 20, 21, etc., of spaced projections 22 which in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 have a rectangular plane top face, all top faces of the projections 22 being disposed in the same plane located above and slightly spaced from the plane bottom 23 left between the projections 22. Preferably, the projections disposed in one row, such as 20, are offset with respect to the projections 22 disposed in the adjacent row, such as 19 or 21.

If the upholstery is provided with an embossed pattern of the kind described, the holes 18 are preferably disposed between the projections and may have a rectangular cross section as shown in FIG. 3.

The projections shown in FIG. 3 may have a width of A; and a length of A inch. In that event, the holes may have a width and a length of about inch. If desired, however, the holes may be considerably smaller or larger. In the pattern illustrated in FIG. 3 alternate rows of projections only are provided with the holes 18, such as rows 19 and 21. Preferably, similar holes, such as 2.4, are provided in each bottom portion 13 of the cover. The holes 18 and 24 may taper in downward direction and thus form walls in the cover having a conical or frusto-pyramidal shape.

I have found that the provision of the cover with the holes 18 and 24 does not only promote ventilation but also increases flexibility and adhesion of the person resting on the seat to the cover thereof.

The circular holes shown in FIG. 2 or the specific pattern of the cover illustrated in FIG. 3 may be produced with the aid of perforating or perforating and embossing rollers acting on an endless web of adjoining hides which passes between the cooperating perforating and/or embossing rollers.

From the foregoing it will appear that the cover of genuine leather of the upholstery described hereinabove is of pleasant appearance, superior flexibility and adhesion and, owing to the improved ventilation, will always keep dry and, as a result, has an increased duration.

While I have shown my invention as applied to the front seat of a motor vehicle, it is equally applicable to the rear seat thereof and to furniture.

While the invention has been described in connection with two preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification, and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or

adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains, and as fall within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A seat cushion comprising a single-piece cover consisting of leather and comprising a plurality of side-byside portions, a plurality of re-entrant fold portions parallel with each other and spacing said side-by-side portions,

said side-by-side portions having a series of holes extend ing therethrough and forming walls therein, said walls being of a downwardly tapering shape, said re-entrant fold portions including level base parts and unimpeded side Walls.

2. A seat cushion according to claim 1, wherein said base parts are provided with a plurality of holes therethrough.

3. A cushion according to claim 1, wherein said sideby-side portions are provided with projections disposed adjacent said holes.

4. A cushion according to claim 3, wherein said projections are disposed in rows, said holes being disposed in alternate rows of said projections.

5. A cushion according to claim 3, wherein said walls have a frusto-pyramidal shape.

6. A cushion according to claim 3, wherein said reentrant folds comprise bottom portions, said bottom portions being provided with holes therethrough forming walls in said bottom portions, said walls having a frustopyramidal shape.

7. A seat cushion, particularly for motor vehicle seats, comprising a single-piece cover consisting of leather and a stuifing therefor, said single-piece cover including a plurality of side-by-side portions containing said stuffing and a plurality of re-entrant fold portions spacing said side-byside portions, each of said re-entrant fold portions extending substantially parallel to the other and including a level base part and a pair of side walls, said side walls being unimpeded and extending outwardly to form a throat therebetween and said base parts forming the base of the seat cushion, and said side-by-side portions having a series of holes extending therethrough so constructed and arranged as to promote ventilation of the cushion and to increase the flexibility and adhesion thereof.

8. A seat cushion, particularly for motor vehicle seats, as defined in claim 7, wherein said base parts and side Walls of said re-entrant fold portions have holes extending therethrough to thereby promote ventilation of said cushions and to increase the flexibility and adhesion thereof.

9. A seat cushion, particularly for motor vehicle seats, as defined in claim 8, wherein said holes are of frustopyramidal shape.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 462,317 Kenfield Nov. 3, 1891 563,225 Forsberg June 30, 1896 1,356,320 Solomon Oct. 19, 1920 2,061,054 Wood Nov. 17, 1936 2,596,292 Sackner May 13, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 546,370 Belgium Apr. 14, 1956 

